UDFA’s

i remember the name roger carter. i will be following him.

JackPMiller wrote:

LA Rams 2022 Live Tracker: UDFA signings to round out roster

• CB Caesar Williams, Wisconsin
• DB Daniel Isom, Washington State
• LB Jake Hummel Iowa State
• OG Jack Snyder, San Jose State
• DB T.J. Carter, TCU
• OLB Braedon Thomas, North Dakota State
• PK Cameron Dicker , Texas
• FB Roger Carter, Georgia St
• Edge Keir Thomas, Florida St
• S Jairon McVea, Baylor
• DT Elijah Garcia, Rice
• OLB Andrzej Hughes-Murray, Oregon State

There’s 12 on that list, 14 on this:

List of the rams udfa’s so far.. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/4XP8b5SGm3

— Rams Tapes 🎞 (@RamsTapes) May 1, 2022

– P Cameron Dicker (Texas) Immediate notes: Rams did pursue CFA QBs and will add a fourth arm prior to camp. Dicker is listed as a punter, which is intriguing (if not expected). 17 prospects whose positions skew defense – also planned heading into UDFA.

Pettigrew – 9.38 RAS and a hell of a blocker per @FBallGameplan

OLBs added here are super intriguing and a group to keep an eye on. Baylor secondary a good add to type of scheme the Rams play Also clear Rams have been leaning into their process on smaller-school guys.

[got this off a message board…the poster there gave no source]

WR Lance McCutcheon (Montana State)
Height: 6-2
Weight: 205
Lance McCutcheon was fun to watch on film because he has a lot of Tim Patrick within his game. Overall, he’s a good route runner who has amazing get off and acceleration and doesn’t waste time in getting defensive backs to open their hips. With the type of body control and wide catch radius he possesses, he’s going to be a QB’s best friend wherever he lands.

TE Jamal Pettigrew (McNeese)
Height: 6-6
Weight: 251
Arguably one of the best blockers at the position in the draft class, Jamal Pettigrew really takes pride in his craft in that regard. He’s got good, reliable hands that make him a solid option as an outlet receiver; one could even say he’s a very underrated receiving option. From Day 1 as a pro, he can be an extension of your offensive line who is going to help bolster your run game.

alyoshamucci

TJ Carter – TCU 5’ 9” 189 lbs.

I have followed him since his first snap at Memphis and kinda lost him in the transfer to TCU and didn’t know if he was even coming out.

Freshman all American. One of the most promising inside and outside CB I have seen given his mid size build. He was a leader on Memphis as a freshman and sophomore. Obvious standout.

Thing I like best about him in our scheme is that he can play inside and outside without issue, allowing Ramsey and Hill to roam.

If he had stayed on track I would have figured him for a 3rd rounder at the latest. This is the get of this year. Expect him to push someone off the roster. Great technique and feet. Great instincts.

Ourlads on Dicker

Four year starter, Austin, TX. Dicker is both a kicker and a punter who has a chance to start day one in the NFL as a placekicker. Had a successful career at Texas on field goals, kickoffs and punts. He went a perfect 15/15 on field goals at the NFL Combine. Has a calm demeanor that should help him handle the pressure of kicking on Sundays. Has solid field goal range and a very repeatable motion. Has a chance at getting drafted or becoming a high priority free agent in this year’s draft. 2021 stats: 49/50 PAT, 13/15 FG, 47 – 2200 yds punting, 46.81 avg, 72-4546 kickoff, 63.14 avg. Seventh round/PFA. (A-30 1/4, H-8 7/8).

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OLB Andrzej Hughes-Murray, Oregon State
He was a semifinalist for the “Academic Heisman”

In each of the last three years, he was a Campbell Trophy semifinalist, which is essentially the equivalent of the Heisman academically. He was also a Senior CLASS Award candidate and graduated with a degree in psychology.

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I dunno what the ‘academic Heisman’ would be exactly — but I’m wondering

what the trophy looks like?    Einstein?  Sid Gillman? Karl Marx?

w

v

zn wrote:

canadaram wrote:

Ourlads on Dicker

He punted too. Rams looking at him as a punter obviously.

Yeah, too bad that report focused almost entirely on his kicking. It would be great if he earned his way on to the roster as a punter, as the Rams would have themselves a legitimate backup at kicker. I can’t imagine that they’d consider having him play both positions, but that would be amazing as it would open up a roster spot. Gay played so well last year that his spot has to be secure, I would think.

i too was intrigued by roger carter. i wonder what happened there.

Diving deep into LA Rams UDFA class: Who could stick to the final roster?

https://theathletic.com/3308782/2022/05/16/la-rams-udfa-class-rookies/?source=emp_shared_article

Each year, a former undrafted free agent manages to make some sort of impact on the Ram roster.

From cornerbacks Troy Hill and Darious Williams emerging as starters, to defensive lineman Marquise Copeland working his way into the rotation and even intercepting quarterback Kyler Murray in the wild-card round of last year’s playoffs, to receiver Brandon Powell emerging midseason in 2021 as an electrifying return specialist — the Rams place a high level of importance on identifying and developing players who can ultimately contribute despite having begun their careers in college free agency.

Last week, the Rams signed 17 new undrafted free agents. How do these players fit into the team’s big picture? Which of their traits, abilities and even intangibles stuck out to coaches and scouts? And — perhaps most importantly — who might have a real shot at sticking to the roster?

In collaboration with The Athletic senior analyst Nick Baumgardner, here’s a deep dive into the Rams’ 2022 college free agency class:

Jack Snyder, San Jose State, OG
BAUMGARDNER Snyder played 57 games as a tackle (mostly LT) at San Jose State, but translates very well to guard for two reasons: His arms are short and he’s real fast. Snyder has great feet that never stop moving, which always gave him a chance on the edge in pass protection despite his length disadvantage. Play strength has to improve, but he’s athletic enough to have a chance inside.

RODRIGUE: We may start to see the Rams take more chances on late-round and UDFA linemen now that offensive line coach Kevin Carberry has a full season under his belt. Last year, tackle Alaric Jackson went from UDFA to actually playing left tackle through an entire late-season game with great results. In the case of Snyder, the Rams don’t just want their starting players to compete for spots — they want more competition for depth players, too.

Jamal Pettigrew, McNeese State, TE
BAUMGARDNER A former top 200 recruit who started out at LSU as a super skinny 6-6 tight end (less than 220 pounds), Pettigrew has been and remains a traits-first talent, but he is a wonderful athlete at his size. His blocking got better as he put on mass, but his burst (36 1/2-inch vert) and twitch help him with recovery skills. Physically, he will look like a star. He needs to play like it now.

RODRIGUE: The Rams had a few tight ends on their board during the draft, and it was clear at the draft house that bringing in a strong college free-agent class at this position was a priority. Further, the tight ends they did recruit all have really intriguing developmental potential in various ways. Pettigrew may be more in the Jacob Harris/hybrid receiver mold that they have explored of late.

Roger Carter, Georgia State, TE
BAUMGARDNER My favorite of this group and just a great example of a unique position that continues to see more attention from smart organizations. Everyone calls it something different, be it the F or an H-back or another nickname. Utility knife, is my term. Carter is so springy athletically for a man his size and his agility is not only good enough to make him interesting in the pass game, but this is the type of player teams can move around as a blocker to add value. Not unlike the Ravens and 49ers have done with Kyle Juszczyk over the years.

RODRIGUE: It should be noted that the Rams’ “F” spot — if they continue to utilize it similarly to how they have in previous years — is essentially up for grabs after the Robert Woods trade. This signing is also super intriguing to me because Carter seems to be a pivot from the “gadget”-type player head coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead have previously gravitated toward — the super-light, super-fast players who haven’t necessarily panned out. I think Carter will make the final roster.

Lance McCutcheon, Montana State, WR
BAUMGARDNER McCutcheon’s a good athlete, not a great one. But confident all the same as an X-receiver who can go up in the air and finish against just about any shape of DB. Some of his big plays at Montana State were similar to that of a power forward going up for a rebound.

RODRIGUE: McCutcheon has a great catch-radius and is a friendly target even if he didn’t post the most explosive testing numbers and is from a smaller school. Especially after bringing in quarterback Matthew Stafford, the Rams have demonstrated a clear effort in diversifying their types of receivers, and now we’re seeing this trickle down into the UDFA and developmental class as well.

Brayden Thomas, North Dakota State, OLB
BAUMGARDNER Very good agility (6.9 3-cone time) and long speed (2.75-second 20-yard split) that shows up on film. Thomas is small, but he can really move around and close space in short-area windows. Best pass-rush move is his bull rush, but his technique has to stay perfect. Played at three small school colleges, always made it work.

RODRIGUE: Thomas is a fascinating prospect as a possible hybrid linebacker; also, his 3-cone time would’ve ranked third among defensive ends/OLBs at the NFL Combine, had he been invited. Thomas was a Shrine Bowl find, among several others in this year’s draft class.

Keir Thomas, Florida State, OLB
BAUMGARDNER Thomas played opposite Jermaine Johnson, at times, as an edge defender at Florida State last season. He also lined up inside some. There were times when FSU stood him up in the box and had him spy on the QB. He’s short, but has decent length and has OK get-off. If he can consistently use his natural leverage to his advantage, his effort/versatility gives him a shot.

RODRIGUE: Thomas was quietly a big get for the Rams as they recruited this year’s UDFA class. His inside-outside ability is especially something they’ve been looking for in a developmental player since Morgan Fox departed in free agency prior to last season.

Benton Whitley, Holy Cross, OLB
BAUMGARDNER Another edge player who lacks height, but has plenty of length (34 1/2-inch arms). Being 6-2 with those arms gives him the ability to naturally play underneath offensive linemen while maintaining the ability to keep them off his chest with his length. Another explosive athlete who could do a few different things — but will have to prove it.

RODRIGUE: Between Chris Garrett (2021 draft class), Daniel Hardy (2022 draft class) and now Thomas and Whitley, the Rams are doing a ton of due diligence on players from smaller schools. Snead says that in order for the Rams to bring in small-school players, they have to show traits that measure well beyond competitors at that level. Whitley’s explosiveness sets him apart.

Andrzej Hughes-Murray, Oregon State, OLB
BAUMGARDNER We have a theme: The Rams are looking for versatile edge types who are long enough to cause problems and athletic enough to drop and cover space. Very good start-stop ability with his speed, and a lot of burst (35 1/2 vert, 10-0 broad jump). An above-average athlete in general who ran a 4.8 40. I’d like to see his GPS numbers.

RODRIGUE: Hughes-Murray is also a mature prospect who will fit right in with what is now a very competitive group of players who are fighting for a spot among the Rams’ backup pass-rushers, especially after the departure of Obo Okoronkwo in free agency.

Dion Novil, North Texas, IDL
BAUMGARDNER Novil has a chance to be a destructive rotational nose at this level. The Athletic draft analyst Dane Brugler was relatively high on him, ranking him as the No. 3 IDL priority free-agent prospect. His foot speed, burst and knowledge of what to do with his hands/length made him very productive in college: 184 career tackles as an NT is impressive.

RODRIGUE: A space-savvy nose tackle with high growth and development potential, you say? Where have I heard that before? But seriously, between Sebastian Joseph-Day (now with the Chargers) and Greg Gaines, the Rams have gotten into a groove in identifying and developing these specific players and in my mind, Novil is one of the most interesting players in this UDFA class for that reason.

Elijah Garcia, Rice, IDL
BAUMGARDNER The longest of the bunch: Garcia is 6-5, 290 with 35-inch arms and almost nothing to complain about athletically. A complete athlete with good burst and agility, who should be able to hold his own speed-wise against quick interior players. He’s a big man who plays with a ton of athletic recovery. But he needs a lot more power and a lot more confidence. He played much slower than his testing would suggest. But, he’s not boring.

RODRIGUE: This pickup has “Eric Henderson” written all over him. The Rams defensive line coach gravitates toward players who have a well-rounded set of athletic traits and has a knack for working with them on the more technical points of their development with notable results.

Jairon McVea, Baylor, S
BAUMGARDNER Fast, but mostly all in a straight line. A 4.4 sprinter with relatively poor agility, McVea makes up for what he lacks with smarts and a willingness to hit. He played for Dave Aranda at Baylor in a deep secondary. So while we didn’t see a ton from him at Baylor in terms of starts — we do know he understands pass defense at a high level.

RODRIGUE: Yes, his last name is pronounced “McVay” — which tickled the Rams coaching staff to no end when they were making their calls to sign him. I think the Rams are OK with his straight-line speed here, when matched with the way their safeties play from depth — and they undoubtedly wanted a player from Aranda’s system because they knew that would mean he’s had to learn and execute a lot of high-level concepts (including some of which they play themselves).

Dan Isom, Washington State, S
BAUMGARDNER An aggressive safety with corner skills, Isom showed a good ability to read a quarterback’s eyes in coverage as a zone defender. Sometimes this led to taking a chance that paid off, sometimes not. But Isom’s a very physically competitive player who also likely has interesting GPS data. Hurt his foot late in college.

RODRIGUE: Isom was on and off of the Cougars roster during his time at Washington State, at one point due to a dismissal for “a violation of team rules”, per the program, but was reinstated. He has played cornerback, strong safety and free safety and is a willing tackler.

TJ Carter, TCU, CB
BAUMGARDNER The COVID-19 shutdown impacted so many things within the football world and, as a result, I do think some guys wound up getting lost scouting-wise amidst their travels. And Carter could be one of those guys. He was a very productive corner at Memphis (seven picks, more than 20 PBUs) who was able to turn around and hang as a safety at TCU. Either safety spot: down or deep. Talk about versatility. Fast enough, agile enough: Don’t sleep on him.

RODRIGUE: When I look at Carter’s abilities as a cornerback, I think of Williams. When I match that with his flexibility at safety, I immediately think of a player who could project into the Rams’ “Star” position. That may be the hope for his development track with the Rams.

Caesar Dancy-Williams, Wisconsin, CB
BAUMGARDNER Was hard to get around in press at Wisconsin because of his length and initial quickness. Was able to sit and stay patient with some WRs and still dictate where they were going, which meant — in college — he was really tough to beat deep. That’ll be much more difficult at this level, but if he can add strength (and play more aggressive consistently) he could be a depth candidate somewhere.

RODRIGUE: The level at which the Rams have loaded up drafted and UDFA players at the cornerback and safety positions should be noted, and suggest an impending overhaul of the current group (with players like David Long Jr., Nick Scott and Taylor Rapp coming up on contracts over the next two years and an otherwise thin lineup, this makes sense).

Duron Lowe, Liberty, CB
BAUMGARDNER Ran a 4.39 40 and shows an awful lot of burst in his lower half. A kick return candidate if ever there was one. Lowe’s speed/explosion combo is real, though his size/agility combination is troublesome.

RODRIGUE: I wouldn’t be surprised to see Lowe competing in a rotation with Powell in training camp at kickoff and punt return.

Jake Hummel, Iowa State, ILB
BAUMGARDNER Really good football player who did a lot of stuff in Iowa State’s 3-3-5. There were situations where he’d line up and rush the passer off the edge, or flex out and run with a faster tight end. He’s very light (225), but a complete athlete. Has interesting coverage potential in the box and was pretty much trusted with everything but driving the bus in college. Played in five bowls, which is insane.

RODRIGUE: Hummel has a real shot at cracking this roster or at least sticking as a priority practice squad player (he’ll compete more so with Jake Gervase, the converted safety, and Christian Rozeboom than he will with Travin Howard, who is currently the Rams’ ILB3).

Cameron Dicker, Texas, P
BAUMGARDNER The hallmark of a great organization, in my opinion, is one that values — and can identify — versatility anywhere. Dicker punted and kicked in 12 games last year at Texas. An All-Big 12 punter who can also kick field goals. Is that the reason you win Super Bowls? No. But themes are always easy to spot with the Rams.

RODRIGUE: It’s interesting — and telling — that the Rams listed Dicker as a punter in their official press release announcing their UDFA class. He will compete with veteran punter Riley Dixon — signed this spring to a one-year deal — but obviously can push kicker Matt Gay as well (Gay is on a one-year tendered deal). Ultimately, longtime fans of future Hall of Fame punter Johnny Hekker — who was released by the Rams in the spring — will just want to know one thing: Can Dicker the Kicker sling it?

Rams roster battles: 4 undrafted free agents who could make the teamhttps://t.co/3rzhMNy7T6

— TurfShowTimes (@TurfShowTimes) July 9, 2022

FROM APRIL

zn wrote:

Keir Thomas, Florida State, OLB

BAUMGARDNER Thomas played opposite Jermaine Johnson, at times, as an edge defender at Florida State last season. He also lined up inside some. There were times when FSU stood him up in the box and had him spy on the QB. He’s short, but has decent length and has OK get-off. If he can consistently use his natural leverage to his advantage, his effort/versatility gives him a shot.

RODRIGUE: Thomas was quietly a big get for the Rams as they recruited this year’s UDFA class. His inside-outside ability is especially something they’ve been looking for in a developmental player since Morgan Fox departed in free agency prior to last season.

zn wrote:

OLB Keir Thomas, Florida State

Played six seasons at South Carolina and FSU Thomas gained a ton of experience in college at two major programs. He played a total of six seasons at South Carolina and Florida State, playing 59 games and making 44 starts. He recorded 15 sacks and 30.5 tackles for a loss in his college career.

…

FROM LATE AUGUST

Stud: OLB Keir Thomas

Thomas looked great against the Bengals, even despite only playing about half the game. He had three tackles for a loss, one sack and a QB hit in the first half alone, flashing as a pass rusher on the outside. Most impressively, he used his size and length to disrupt the Bengals’ running game, slicing through for an impressive TFL in the second quarter.